Distance Learning is a technology driven profession. Your technology skills do not need to be advanced, but you do need to have a understanding of how the various learning environments will work.
As we are a school transitioning to online learning, we are asking you that you use the following learning management systems.
Google Classroom
This is only available to those who are on our Google Apps for Education domain. If you need help getting set up with this service contact the DOTS hotline.
Here is a video preview of what you can do with Google Classroom.
Wikispaces
This course was presented using the wikispaces website. The following video will guide you through setting up an account and a classroom.
u
Important Topics.
Here are some important things for you to remember as you complete this training and go in to your first class as a faculty.
Present information, such as lectures or videos
You are expected to prepare a weekly lecture via video or text. One option you have to use is the schools VoiceThread account to create your lectures. What makes this product exceptional is that it allows for collaboration and class involvement without a timeframe. Educators and students can post content and then the class can respond to the content using videos, text, or voice responses. The program is available both online and via mobile devices.
Conduct class discussions
Again you have choices, using Wikispaces you post questions on each of the pages with content or on the main screen. When you set up your class just ensure that you set it up with you as an instructor so that you can moderate discussions as needed.
Conduct private discussions
Private discussions should be held in the the respective programs, Wikispaces or Google classroom. If an email or phone call needs to happen ensure that you document it somewhere. Some times private questions could help the entire class so give the students the option to share their question in the class. Respond to private messages within 24 hours or as soon as possible.
Receive assignments
Using Google Classroom, you can have students submit their classwork within the assignment that you give them.
With Wikispaces the students will submit their assignments on the individual project pages. Students will have 2 project pages, a team page and an individual page. Students will post assignments accordingly.
Provide assignment feedback and grades
With either system feedback and grades should be posted to students accounts no later than 5 days from the day they submit the assignment. If you can not have the assignments graded in that time frame, then notify the students as soon as possible.
Student Engagement Through Technology
In addition to VoiceThread consider using the following technology options. These are adopted from a paper write by Sullens (2015)
The Dipity website gives students an opportunity to take the timeline from a piece of legal sized paper and make an interactive visual website. The Dipity website allows users to build a timeline based on any subject or idea. The site features a number of features that are built into the timeline feature. A reader of the timeline can look at the timelines in a traditional timeline format, as a flipbook (similar to a slide presentation), a list of dates, and if the timeline takes places in different locations, a map of specific locations.
In terms of digital content creation, video often wins out. AudioBoom looks to simplify the way students interact and present information. AudioBoom brings the art of the conversation to the digital age by letting both students and educators share their ideas with words. Instead of a student creating a four-page paper on adult learning, the student could use AudioBoom to bring their words to life. On the AudioBoom Education page, there are examples of students, in K-12 settings, using the site to “enrich and extend learning” (audioboom.com, n.d.). One aspect that is exciting is the ability to share words to help start conversations. This would be helpful to engage an audience at a distance, without the limitations of large video files.
Capzles turns a box, or cloud of photos in to a photographic time Capzle. Students can create Capzles of different topics and then share them with the class. Songs and other content can be added to the Capzle to tell a story that a paper could never tell. Instructors can bring in content to enrich their discussions or to add to an existing curriculum. Content can be found anywhere and added to the site to share with the class or the world.
As we are a school transitioning to online learning, we are asking you that you use the following learning management systems.
Google Classroom
This is only available to those who are on our Google Apps for Education domain. If you need help getting set up with this service contact the DOTS hotline.Here is a video preview of what you can do with Google Classroom.
Wikispaces
This course was presented using the wikispaces website. The following video will guide you through setting up an account and a classroom.
u
Important Topics.
Here are some important things for you to remember as you complete this training and go in to your first class as a faculty.
Student Engagement Through Technology
In addition to VoiceThread consider using the following technology options. These are adopted from a paper write by Sullens (2015)
The Dipity website gives students an opportunity to take the timeline from a piece of legal sized paper and make an interactive visual website. The Dipity website allows users to build a timeline based on any subject or idea. The site features a number of features that are built into the timeline feature. A reader of the timeline can look at the timelines in a traditional timeline format, as a flipbook (similar to a slide presentation), a list of dates, and if the timeline takes places in different locations, a map of specific locations.
In terms of digital content creation, video often wins out. AudioBoom looks to simplify the way students interact and present information. AudioBoom brings the art of the conversation to the digital age by letting both students and educators share their ideas with words. Instead of a student creating a four-page paper on adult learning, the student could use AudioBoom to bring their words to life. On the AudioBoom Education page, there are examples of students, in K-12 settings, using the site to “enrich and extend learning” (audioboom.com, n.d.). One aspect that is exciting is the ability to share words to help start conversations. This would be helpful to engage an audience at a distance, without the limitations of large video files.
Capzles turns a box, or cloud of photos in to a photographic time Capzle. Students can create Capzles of different topics and then share them with the class. Songs and other content can be added to the Capzle to tell a story that a paper could never tell. Instructors can bring in content to enrich their discussions or to add to an existing curriculum. Content can be found anywhere and added to the site to share with the class or the world.